S9E25 : 6 ways HUMOUR into your recovery & why it's important!

0:00 Hello beautiful survivors, how are you? This is Karina, the hosting creator of this podcast. It's all about moving forward past the events of the stroke and I'm here to show you that there is so much more life to live after. 27 years ago I suffered a brain self dissection that led me to coma in the locked in syndrome.

0:22 As you can see, I am here today sharing all my tricks, hacks, how I got to survive this world as a stroke survivor. Grab a pen and paper because the faintus I think is better than the best memory. Come and join me here as we are recording today's show. Before I start the show, guys, you heard quacking behind me. I'm bird sitting, my cousin's bird, and she is very vocal, just like her aunt, just like me. And you might occasionally hear a growl or barking in the back. That's also my vocal dog, Einstein. Yes, I guess we're a family that likes to talk and be heard, but let me know if it's something that's bothersome to you or that is humorous and fun and it makes you feel all fuzzy inside. Just comment bird or comment

1:19 dog. Or you can even do both dog and cat, dog and bird, whatever pleases you. Tell me you like animals in the comments. Before we officially start the show, I also want to do a little bit of clean house remind you that you can like follow and subscribe to my podcast on all in every every podcast platform.

1:46 Wow, words are hard to come out today podcast platform. That was a mouthful. Actually, that was hmm, try saying that three times. All right, the show today is about why you so must go on, alright, like follow, subscribe on all in any platforms that you listen to my podcast, make sure that you leave a comment. I would love to hear what you have to say, guys. I'm offering here on Spotify a $4.99 subscription to my best episodes.

2:24 Those are things that have helped me get through the stroke mindset behaviors. Really, really, it's worth it for you. I am also very active in all the other platforms. If you go on my TikTok at the same name stroke surviving the odds, I have an offer for you. I am offering also a ebook. So if you would like more information about the ebook, make sure you write ebook in the comments and I'll be happy to get back in touch with you and give you some information about that.

3:02 That being said, today's show is all about why humor is so important to your recovery. Some people feel guilty about having humor, being funny, seeing light of the situation. Do you think that there's guilt to have because you had a stroke? Really, there is no guilt to have. You didn't ask to have that stroke. You didn't wake up 1 morning and say hey, I've got nothing to do today, let's have a stroke.

3:33 Come on guys. It's it is a little bit funny you didn't wake up this morning saying that. OK. I like laughing at myself. I like seeing light of the situation because life is so serious and a stroke is grave. Not grave, Gav. It's humongous. I am looking for my words this morning. Please forgive me guys, don't, don't. Don't judge me.

4:01 As you see, I am a stroke survivor such as yourself. I am not perfect. I also stumble and fall on my words, on my actions and physically I fall and I fracture ribs. Yes, I do that guys. Actually, I did it two weeks ago. So don't think that I'm all high and mighty because it's not the case. I'm here to show you.

4:31 If you look at my Facebook, if you follow me on strokes, Surviving the odds, the podcast on my Facebook page, that will be described. You'll get all my description of all my links in the later on. You will see that who you see in the videos in the lives is who's talking to you right now. You say I'm just a 52 year old girl.

4:59 I still think I'm a girl. I know I'm a woman, I definitely am. But when it comes to stroke, I am just a girl. I'm just like you, so who you see and who you hear are absolutely the same. And I don't hold back on telling you some days that I have some crap happening or I have my my little Downers.

5:23 I don't hold back because I want you to see that you are not alone. We don't want to have pity. This is not a pity party that we're asking for. We're asking for compassion, understanding and empathy. And amongst our stroke survivors, this is exactly what we get. Do you agree? This is exactly what we need, But we also need to laugh.

5:55 You see, growing up, my younger sister had my father's way of being so humorous and funny, and she could make anybody laugh, even a dead person. That's how funny my sister is. And I was always known to be the quiet pretty 1. So I grew up thinking, huh, I'm just the way they say I am, and I'm not funny and I'm always serious.

6:33 That must be how it is. Once the stroke happened, watch my humor come out in a very quirky way. Maybe, but there is a lot of humor and a lot of people laugh at what I say. And I say it so nonchalantly in everyday situations at work and whatnot. I say it nonchalantly and the people laugh and I'm like, why are they laughing? Well, maybe it's because I'm funny. Maybe because the lie I've been telling myself all these years is not exactly true.

7:13 Guys, humor can be a very powerful healing tool in your stroke recovery, and that's why I'm going to give you these six specific scenarios in a couple of minutes. You guys are going to see that for stroke survivors, it is very helpful and it brings a lot of positivity. And by bringing laughter, the journey is so much easier.

7:42 You'll understand in the era of AI, everything is AI and some of it is practical and some of it not so much. Well, I have a gift for you guys today. Today's episode is brought to you by AI Lottie. I'm going to leave all her coordinates in the description. You can get your own personalized photo shoot that is AI generated. Guys, you have to go look at her page to see what she does. It is you.

8:19 It is it is you 100%. She did something for me that it. I teared up. I honestly teared up. There's a picture of me, my face and all my body. She, she has her ways of doing things. She put me in heels. I never thought I could see myself in heels again. She did it. How crazy amazing is that? So I'm going to leave you again, the description in the description. I'm going to leave you all her coordinates and her website. I want you guys to go check it out. Make sure that you tell her that it's me stroke surviving the odds that is sending you to her for the photo shoot that she will personalize to you.

9:11 First example for scenario I am going to be giving you is to laugh at your little wins. Celebrate the oops moments. Like example, if you drop something, you can say, I guess my hands are on strike today. If your dexterity is off, you can also use that one. I use it a lot at work when I have to grab papers and staple them in front of clients where I get a little nervous still sometimes.

9:46 So I will say that and I'll hand out the paper to somebody that can help me. Sometimes it's even the client. Do you mind helping me? OK, What? What happened to me before in the introduction, when I was doing that mouthful and I said something wrong and the words just wouldn't come out, Then I go, oh, my God, this show is all about stroke. This show is all about surmounting what seems to be insurmountable.

10:18 But evidently, because I'm here, you know, I can do it. You can do it too. So I just laughed at it. And I said, oh, my gosh, the words don't come out today. This is a mouthful. Let me start over again. What happens is that by reframing these setbacks, like dropping things or saying the wrong things, you're actually lightening the situation. You're making yourself.

10:47 You're reframing your own mind, but you're making also other people feel better. Because let's admit that people that see us soap survivors, they feel bad and some of them don't know why, but they do. So you're actually making them feel better at the same time. So it's lightening the situation on these discouraging little moments #2 scenario guys watch, listen to comedy every day. Only 1015 minutes.

11:23 There's funny podcasts, there's funny TV shows, there's funny books. Laughter therapy actually works. Guys, if you're stuck at home, you're stuck in your wheelchair, you're stuck in bed, you might as well grow internally, right? Maybe you can't walk the way you did, but you definitely can grow back your sense of humor. By I'll give you a little scenario. Back before my stroke I loved on Thursday night it was Frasier and there was at some point there was 2 1/2 men at 8:00 I think on Mondays.

11:58 Anyways, now that I'm post stroke, I pick and choose the comedy shows that I watch because some of them make me pee in my pants and I can't stand pee peeing in my pants. I am no more close to where sometimes. Like I'm being funny here, but I'm also being very honest with you guys. I'm 52, I'm in menopause, I have bladder leakage and sometimes I just piss myself.

12:26 OK, but watching these old TV shows, guys, they help me connect with the old you. The old you is not gone. The essence of you is there. Guys, I promise. I want you to reconnect with your old sense of humor. If you don't go back and visit the good you before. Never mind walking, talking, standing, using your fingers to cut your stake. Never mind that the you inside.

12:57 I care about you inside. I'm not a physiotherapist, I say it all the time, but I'm a damn good therapist when it comes to your emotions. So right now what I would like for you is to connect the old make AY make AY. On the left branch I want you to write old, on the right branch I want you to write new, and in the bottom I want you to write improved. Sounds good?

13:22 That's why you need a pen and paper. My third scenario, guys, join your laughter circle. You're going to say, what the heck are you talking about, Karina? All right, I'm going to put in my description. There is some Facebook groups. One of my friends is actually doing stroke of laugh on Facebook. There's also on YouTube.

13:47 Stroke stand up comedian. Maybe in your old life you wanted to become a stand up comedian, but because now you have the stroke, you stutter, or you have dysphasia and aphasia and you talk different, you know what I'm going to prove to you? I'm going to leave a description. Strokes of Amber can be stand up comics 4th scenario very easy.

14:11 Keep a funny moment journal or in the journal, keep a section for those funny moments. You record happy moments and the funny ones and you revise them when you need them. Guys, today might be a very boring, very blah, very depressive state day, but you know what? If you revise your book, you can, I see that you also have great days. That's going to play on your psyche. That's going to make you feel much better, and it's going to work on your mindset.

14:39 I love #5 because it has to do with being a stand up comedian or being your own stand up comedian. I would like for you to write your own funny comeback story. And I would like for you to start with this. This is the phrase I want you to start. My brain took a vacation and when I got back this is what happened and you fill in the blanks.

15:07 Your brain took a vacation now you're back. This is what you find and see how funny all this is. I promise, I promise guys, you will be finding light and I would love to hear and see these in the comments or on my Facebook page or Instagram. I would love to see what happened when your brain took a vacation and what's going on now. Last but not least, the number six scenario is playing silly games.

15:42 First of all, I love the word silly. So instead of saying to someone you're stupid, how about you tell them you're silly? Instead of telling yourself I'm stupid, how about you say you are silly? All right, that's my little advice. Now number six is all about playing silly games, human based brain exercises such as charade tongue twisters.

16:10 These activities guys, I didn't realize, but these activities are actually working your speech, your memory, your coordination. All the while you're being entertained and people see when you're laughing, they see how brave and courageous you are. And even though life happens and even though you might be in a different dynamic with these people and it might not be the best, but they still think highly of you because of this. Guys, this is what I have to you for you today. Please make sure that you like follow subscribe on all my platforms and you book your AI photo shoot with Lottie. She's amazing.

16:58 I'm leaving you a lot of references in the description, YouTube, Facebook groups, everything. I want you to start freaking laughing at yourself today, OK? Be silly, I love you. Bye.